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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24753814">Monsters</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/howdopeoplechooseusernames/pseuds/howdopeoplechooseusernames'>howdopeoplechooseusernames</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, Horror, I'm Bad At Tagging, Monsters, One Shot, Owls, Slight horror, and I get scared easily, first fic, idk I don't think it's scary, tagging is hard, uuuh, weird owl monsters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 05:40:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,505</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24753814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/howdopeoplechooseusernames/pseuds/howdopeoplechooseusernames</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you human?" whispered Kuroo.<br/>"What would you do if I wasn't?" asked Bokuto.<br/>The flame on the candle flickered between them.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji &amp; Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji &amp; Bokuto Koutarou &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou, Bokuto Koutarou &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Monsters</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello! I'm excited to be posting my first fanfic. Please tell me if I made any mistakes, English isn't my first language.<br/>This fic was inspired by two fanarts I saw of Bokuto and Akaashi made by to-fu<br/>https://static.zerochan.net/Bokuto.Koutarou.full.1874709.jpg<br/>https://static.zerochan.net/Akaashi.Keiji.full.1874711.jpg</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Kuroo looked at Bokuto, he was a bit uneasy. The man was too much like an owl, and, at first, Kuroo thought it was a funny coincidence, considering his school, but now, he saw something more, something not human. Kuroo ignored it and blamed it all on his wild imagination, Bokuto was just an intense volleyball player. He couldn't ignore it anymore when Akaashi came. He had that same predator look in his eyes, that same thirst for hunt. When they played and targeted a player, it wasn't strategic, it wasn't to get more points, it wasn't because they would use the other's team weak link. The player was their prey and they were hunting him. </p><p>Kuroo wanted to say it was just fierce playing but sometimes, an inhuman look flashed in their eyes while they were not on the court. Crows flew away in a hurry the moment they saw them, and animals either hated them, running away, barking, hissing at them, or they loved them. At least, Kuroo thought they did. When he looked closer, he noticed that they did not love them. They submitted to them.</p><p>Owls, however, did love them. They seemed to listen to what Bokuto and Akaashi said. Kuroo was reminded of loyal servants with their masters. All three of them had been taking a walk in a forest, in broad daylight, when an owl descended from a tree, and Bokuto raised his arm without even thinking about it. Kuroo was surprised when the bird perched itself on his friend's arm. Once Bokuto noticed the incredulous look Kuroo was giving him, he laughed his boisterous laugh, and Kuroo expected the bird to fly away, scared by the loud noise, but it did not. It stayed on his arm, giving no reaction to the sound. Kuroo gazed at Akaashi, hoping that he was not the only one shocked, but the man had a bored look on his face. He turned away and started to walk in front of them, telling them to hurry up, and another owl flew by and rested itself on his shoulder. Kuroo had been carefully observing him so he saw that Akaashi had not flinched. It was as if the setter knew the bird would come. The walk continued with Bokuto speaking most of the time and Akaashi making a few comments here and there, but Kuroo had the distinct impression that the two owls were boring holes through him, observing his every movement, analyzing his every reaction. </p><p>Kuroo didn't ask them anything. He pretended he hadn't noticed anything. He had no proof that Bokuto and Akaashi were not quite human, it was just paranoia. Despite telling himself that, he couldn't escape the feeling that something was not right. Kuroo considered talking to Kenma about it, to ask him whether he had seen anything, if he had noticed their sometimes strange behavior, but the captain decided against it. Kenma was an observant person, he probably had been paying attention to Bokuto's and Akaashi's vicious playing, but he was also logical. Kenma would never start to believe the two Fukurodani players were not human. If Kuroo talked to him, his little friend would huff at him and tell him to stop watching so many horror movies. Kuroo had no proof, he just had a gut feeling, so he wouldn't speak about it with Kenma.</p><p>Sometimes, he wondered if he made the right decision.</p><p>Too much time had passed, and the feeling had grown too strong for Kuroo to talk to Kenma. He couldn't talk to anyone about it because they would definitely think he was insane. Kuroo thought long and hard about if he had actually lost his mind, even though he knew he hadn't. What he was seing was real. There was something animalistic in Akaashi's an Bokuto's eyes.</p><p>As time went on and Kuroo kept looking for clues or for courage to ask them, Bokuto and Akaashi had started to observe him. He always had a pair of eyes on him. When they would get together and hang out, they laughed and talked as usual, but Kuroo knew they were scrutinizing his every reaction and movement. Even when he was alone, he had the impression that something was staring at him. Sometimes he caught sight of an owl flying away, sometimes he saw a flash of gold, sometimes he heard the flap of wings or the ruffle of feathers, but sometimes, the noise was louder. Bigger flaps and way more feathers, sharper eyes, and Kuroo could swear that he once saw a gigantic wing out of the corner of his eye. At those moments where it was not an owl that was observing him, nor a human, Kuroo just kept walking, ignoring the urge to call out for Bokuto or Akaashi and see if what was following him reacted. He just kept walking.</p><p>Until, one day, they went on a trip together.</p><p>###</p><p>Summer came and Bokuto invited Kuroo and Akaashi to a cabin in the woods that belonged to his uncle. Kuroo agreed despite the obvious horror cliché. The setter had waited for him to answer, green eyes gazing at him discreetly and nonchalantly, and once Kuroo said yes, Akaashi joined him.</p><p>"Cabin in the woods," Kuroo laughed, "hope this doesn't turn out to be a horror movie." Something that he was not able to identify flashed in the Fukurodani players' eyes then Bokuto patted him on the back with his usual bright smile.</p><p>"You watch to much TV," he said.</p><p>"Maybe," answered Kuroo deep in thought, "maybe." He was looking intensely at Bokuto, trying to analyse his every word, and Kuroo knew, despite the fact that the setter was behind him, that Akaashi was staring at him.</p><p>The cabin was isolated, only trees surrounded it, and Kuroo thought that the situation was getting more and more cliché. Each of them had a room upstairs, but they spent most of the time together, either inside or outside. The trip was a week long, and, luckily, the weather was beautiful. It was hotter it the city, but, in the woods, the shade from the trees and the passing wind made it cooler. The evening required a thin sweater, and Kuroo loved the breeze. </p><p>On the first day, they were busy unpacking in their own room when Kuroo glanced out the window and noticed, perched on a branch, the same two owls from that day looking at him with curious but analytic golden eyes. All three of them went on a walk and Kuroo could hear the flap of wings following them, the birds keeping out of sight, but Bokuto and Akaashi pretended they didn't notice it, so Kuroo did as well.</p><p>At night, he could hear footsteps going down the stairs and out the door, he could hear wings and feathers brushing against each other outside his window, and Kuroo sometimes looked out and caught sight of an owl or two. He once saw Bokuto outside with an owl sitting on his shoulder, whispering to it, golden eyes bright despite the darkness. Sometimes it was Akaashi, sometimes it was both of them. Kuroo thought he saw feathers on their skin one night, but, the next day, he figured it could have been the shadows. It could have not.</p><p>One night, the electricity broke down and they lit up all the candles they could find, giving the cabin an eerie red look. Akaashi went out to get some wood for the fireplace while the other two kept watch on the house, to make sure they didn't accidentally burn it down. They sat down on the floor, in front of the couch, a candle between them. In the soft light, Bokuto almost didn't look human, a hint of something buried under his skin. Instead of making small talk, Kuroo stared at him until he decided to ask the question he had wanted to ask for months.</p><p>"Are you human?" he whispered.</p><p>"What would you do if I wasn't?" Bokuto asked.</p><p>The flame on the candle flickered between them, and Akaashi walked in, eyes immediately going to Bokuto's after sensing the tension, Kuroo wanted to say, but that wasn't quite it, in the air. They seemed to communicate something with their looks, and the weird mood dissipated when Akaashi said, with an impassive face, "Help me with the fire." </p><p>The rest of the week passed without speaking about that night, and, though they were all aware that something had happened, they had no difficulty talking and laughing as per usual. Nothing had changed. Not yet. Kuroo had the distinct impression that everything would change soon. Kuroo knew it would change when Bokuto suggested going camping, all three of them.</p><p>###</p><p>A couple weeks passed and they were out again in the woods, except this time, they had come with tents. They came early in the morning, set everything up, and spent the day bantering and having fun until the night came, the fire they had made, the only source of light. It was cloudy that day. </p><p>None of them made any move of going to sleep, and they were laughing at a stupid joke Kuroo had made, even Akaashi was chuckling, sitting around the fire. When the laughter died down, they stayed in silence for a while as Kuroo stared at the small wild flames and he could feel the two owls staring at him behind his back.</p><p>Bokuto and Akaashi stood up, and Kuroo followed them. The setter asked him to close his eyes, and he did. His heart was thumping in his chest out of anticipation. He could hear the owls and his friends moving around.</p><p>"Open them," said Akaashi. Kuroo did, and he was not shocked by what he saw. Every single doubt of his was confirmed. Bokuto and Akaashi were not human, but Kuroo was not surprised. He didn't widen his eyes, he didn't scream, he didn't tense, he didn't run away. He just looked at them.</p><p>Bokuto leaned towards Kuroo, the fire crackling and illuminating them with a soft red light in the middle of the darkness. "Are you afraid of me?" he whispered in his ear, gold eyes glinting. </p><p>Bokuto took a step back, and Akaashi moved forward. "Are you afraid of us?" The wind fluttered, and the two owls perched on their shoulders flew away into the trees. Their hair, some strands now feathers, ruffled, and the air brushed against their wing where there used to be an arm. The jackets propped on their shoulders fell on the ground, revealing plumes spotting their entire left side. </p><p>Kuroo glanced at their faces. Bokuto's left pupil was big and dark while his other was thinner. Dark spots, hinting at feathers were scattered on the left side of his face, just like Akaashi except their feathers were different. Akaashi's left eye was even more frightening. What should have been white was black, and Kuroo had difficulty to see where the iris began. The color was mesmerizing, gold with a hint of green and his pupil seemed small, but everything was mixing, the edges were blurry. It was as if a drop of water had been dropped on a painted golden eye.</p><p>"No," he answered, and he wasn't lying. Despite the fact that they were both beautifully terrifying, Kuroo was not scared. Bokuto grinned, not his usual sunny smile, but a more crooked one, and a hint of a smile spread across Akaashi's lips. The flap of wings was heard from the trees, and Kuroo looked up towards the source of the sound. "I should be, but I'm not." </p><p>Bokuto and Akaashi took a step forward, a twig breaking under their feet. The two owls descended and flew by their masters to spin around Kuroo, gold eyes staring at him curiously. The half-owls extended their now gloved arm, and the birds came to settle on them. The golden rope, almost red with the fire, pinned to the black gloves jostled around for a bit. Akaashi looked down at his owl while Bokuto crouched to pick up a yellow flower for his owl to play with.</p><p>"Then that makes you a monster as well," Bokuto said with the same smile. Akaashi's eyes flashed and stared at the human, observing his reaction.</p><p>Kuroo grinned, red flames dancing in his eyes, and rested a hand on his hip. "I guess it does."</p><p>Bokuto smiled more widely, and the setter extended his arm, the owl flying away. He took of his glove and threw it to Kuroo who put it on then raised his arm. The bird came to rest on it, claws gripping it. It looked at Kuroo with its big eyes, and he almost had the impression they were brimming with approval. Bokuto's owl turned to stare at him, eyes smaller, and flew to sit on Kuroo's shoulder with a tiny hoot of acceptance.</p><p>The crackling from the fire grew louder, and Kuroo made eye contact with the owl-humans. They stared at each other until the owls flew away, distracting Kuroo by following their silhouettes with his eyes, and when he looked back, Bokuto and Akaashi were gone.</p><p>Kuroo went into the tent and settled in his sleeping bag. In the morning, his two friends were back and they were grilling some deer meat for breakfast.</p><p>"Where did you get the meat?" Kuroo asked already knowing the answer.</p><p>Akaashi looked up at him. "We hunted it."</p><p>Kuroo hummed and sat down, completely aware that both Bokuto and Akaashi were boring holes through him. After he took a sip from his cup of coffee handed to him by the setter, the two owl-humans took their eyes off of Kuroo and resumed their task of cooking the meat.</p><p>They talked and laughed like always.</p><p>###</p><p>The two owls started to adore Kuroo and perched themselves on him whenever they could, but if their masters called them, they would not hesitate to listen to them. It was as if Bokuto and Akaashi were kings and the birds were loyal soldiers. </p><p>Their relationship didn't change, they were still the same friends. Laughing, talking, Bokuto and Kuroo doing stupid stuff while Akaashi shook his head. Nothing had changed, except for the fact that there were three monsters now. Two half-owls and a human who was not sacred of them. Two real monsters and the monster who wasn't afraid of them. Some individuals might call Kuroo the real monster.</p><p>People could somehow sense the change, glancing curiously or warily at them. Kenma once asked him what secret all three of them shared, and Kuroo just laughed. "There's no secret," he said, "if you look for it, you will find it." Kenma looked at him weirdly but didn't push it, he just continued to play his game.</p><p>Kuroo could still sense the owls following him and observing him, but he could tell, they were no longer analyzing him, they were protecting him. He grinned and opened his door, a hoot echoing through the street.</p><p>"I'm home."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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